Chamber and committees

Thank you very much, Mr Hall, for that very detailed response. I would like to pick up on one of the points that you made with regard to Scottish public bodies looking to procure locally and why you think that the current structure of the internal market act may have an impact on that.

This has been a most informative hour of conversation. I am interested in what John Webster was saying about the perception of Scotland and how that is being recorded. Will you expand on that a bit more? I am interested to hear about the Scottish Government’s plans for expanding the network of Scotland offices in Europe—in Copenhagen and Warsaw, for example—and any comments on the wider network of Scotland’s offices around the world.

That is very helpful—thank you.

Similarly, I had a meeting with some young Scots designers who spoke about co-operation, collaboration and the idea that we are perhaps a southern Nordic state as opposed to a northern European state. I reflect positively on what you have just said—thank you. I think that Martin Johnson is going to come in on the expansion.

Thank you, Mr Hall, for submitting your evidence. Turning to one point you made, which you have already touched on in answering Ms Boyack’s question, I note that you state that

“agricultural support arrangements are currently, and must remain, devolved”

and you talk about the agriculture support framework across the UK that is yet to meet. I am interested in your thoughts on the Subsidy Control Bill that has passed through Westminster and is now in the House of Lords.

Thank you for that. We also use our contacts with the consuls who are based in Edinburgh and elsewhere in Scotland, so there is also that two-way conversation.

I thank the witnesses for joining us. I want to follow on from Dr Zuleeg’s points about what third countries can bring to the table. What are your thoughts on how Scotland is perceived in Europe and the EU? Maybe Mr Salamone could start.

I put the same questions to Dr Zuleeg.

Thank you for joining us, Mr McAllister. In the previous evidence session, we talked, as you have, about the formal and informal relationships and contacts that we can have. Clearly, there is a formal relationship with Northern Ireland and, as you have pointed out, the PPA currently has no representation from the devolved Parliaments. What can we learn from relationships that the EU and the European Commission have with other nations? We heard a bit about Norway, which has a different relationship from the one that Scotland would have, and the Basque countries and Québec. Do you have any thoughts as to how the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government can engage and build on the perception that Scotland voted to remain in the EU, as you said?

I think that there is some Scottish participation in the conference on the future of Europe. I am interested in your thoughts on GlobalScot and the European friends of Scotland group. Are there specific things that Scotland can bring to the European table as part of a third country?